Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 222) to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow schools that participate in the school lunch program to serve whole milk, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: S. 222

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. ORGANIC OR NON-ORGANIC WHOLE MILK PERMISSIBLE.

(a) In General.--Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2)) is amended--

(1) in subparagraph (A)--

(A) by striking clauses (i) and (ii) and inserting the following:

``(i) shall offer students a variety of fluid milk;

``(ii) may offer students options which may include flavored and unflavored organic or nonorganic whole, reduced- fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk, and nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the nutritional standards established by the Secretary (which shall, among other requirements to be determined by the Secretary, include fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D to levels found in cow's milk); and''; and

(B) in clause (iii), by striking ``physician'' and inserting ``physician, parent, or legal guardian'';

(2) in subparagraph (C), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ``fluid milk products'' and inserting ``products described in subparagraph (A)(ii)''; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

``(D) Saturated fat.--Milk fat included in any fluid milk provided under subparagraph (A) shall not be considered saturated fat for purposes of measuring compliance with the allowable average saturated fat content of a meal under section 210.10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).

``(E) Application.--Subparagraph (B)(ii) is not applicable to a school that offers nondairy beverages under subparagraph (A)(ii).''.

(b) Conforming Amendments.--

(1) Section 14(f) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1762a(f)) is amended in the third sentence by inserting ``or a nondairy beverage that meets the nutritional standards described in section 9(a)(2)(B)'' after ``milk''.

(2) Section 20(c) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769b(c)) is amended by striking ``patterns and fluid milk requirements'' and inserting ``patterns, fluid milk requirements, and nutritional standards for nondairy beverages''. SEC. 3. INCLUDING FOOD ALLERGY INFORMATION IN EXISTING TRAINING MODULES FOR LOCAL FOOD SERVICE PERSONNEL.

(a) Food Allergy Training Module.--Section 7(g)(2)(B)(iii) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776(g)(2)(B)(iii)) is amended--

(1) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as subclauses (III) and (IV), respectively; and

(2) by inserting after subclause (I) the following:

``(II) food allergies, including information on the best practices to prevent, recognize, and respond to food-related allergic reactions;''.

(b) Certification.--Section 7(g)(2)(B)(ii)(II) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776(g)(2)(B)(ii)(II)) is amended by striking ``clause (i)'' and inserting ``clauses (i) and (iii)''.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. 222.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill near and dear to my heart, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.

My legislation will allow for unflavored and flavored whole, reduced- fat, or 2 percent milk to be offered in school cafeterias, giving our students the option to choose the milk that they want to drink.

Milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced diet, offering 13 essential nutrients and numerous health benefits.

Unfortunately, out-of-touch and outdated Federal regulations have imposed restrictions on the types of milk students have access to in school meals. While the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act's intention to reduce child obesity was good, its impacts to attack whole milk have been misguided and devastating over the 15 years since its passage, resulting in the loss of an entire generation of milk drinkers.

It has always been a myth that whole milk causes weight gain. The beverage is 97 percent fat-free, and it is the least processed type of milk. Common sense tells us that whole milk is not the culprit of childhood obesity. Instead, milk is the number one source of protein for kids ages 2 to 11. Milk is also the top source of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin D for children ages 2 to 18.

Medical research has proven that whole milk has several benefits, such as strong bone density, a healthier immune system, reduced cardiovascular risk, lowered blood pressure, reduced hunger cravings, reduced type 2 diabetes risk, and increased sleep quality.

Additionally, children are not consuming the amount of dairy recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are not getting these important benefits and nutrients. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reported that over two-thirds of school-age children fail to meet the recommended levels of dairy. Rather than drinking milk they didn't like, students are throwing it away and losing out on the 21 essential minerals and 13 vitamins necessary for healthy development.

School nutrition programs provide critical access to the nutrients growing children need, including those provided by milk. In fact, school meals provide 77 percent of the total daily milk consumption for low-income children ages 5 to 18.

In addition, it is also important to remember that this legislation does not require any student to drink or any school to serve whole milk. Rather, this legislation simply gives schools the flexibility to serve a broader variety of milk in the school lunchroom.

Dairy farmers in Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District and across our country work hard every day to produce nutritious milk for our families and communities.

I am proud to lead this legislation that would allow schools to serve flavored and unflavored whole and reduced-fat milk in school cafeterias. Today, we will restore students' access to a wide variety of milk options, ensuring students have the necessary nutrients to learn and grow.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I have proudly led this charge to restore whole milk in school milk programs for the last decade.

I am grateful to those who played a role in this effort, including the House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg and former Chairwoman Virginia Foxx; my co-lead, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, who is a pediatrician; my Senate companion co-leads, Senators Roger Marshall, Peter Welch, Dave McCormick, and John Fetterman; my staff in my personal office and on the House Agriculture Committee, who have worked tirelessly to advance this bill every step of the way, especially my legislative director, Faith Tuttle.

I also thank the National Milk Producers Federation, and in particular Paul Bleiberg; the International Dairy Foods Association; the Farm Bureau; the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau; and the most dedicated grassroots movement in America, 97 Milk, including the leadership of Bernie Morrissey and Sherry Bunting, Nelson Troutman, Krista Byler, Christine Ebersole, Dr. Edward Silverman, and a host of parents and dairy farmers. I thank each and every one of these individuals who put their mark on this bill in a meaningful way.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation and drink whole milk.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source